The Nantucket Island Gender Equality Act has been approved by the State Attorney General. Now, officially, everyone can go topless on local beaches.
At the city’s annual meeting in May of this year, Nantucket residents voted to amend Article 71, Gender Equality on Beaches, of the Bylaws. The decision was made: “To promote the equality of all people, any person should be allowed to go topless on any public or private beach within the city limits of Nantucket.”
However, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy’s office officially recognized the amendment only last week.
“We emphasize that our approval does not in any way imply any lobbying of political views and movements that could lead to the adoption of the bylaw,” the attorney general’s office explained in a letter addressed to Nantucket City Hall. The Attorney General’s limited scrutiny functionality requires that a decision be made based solely on the compliance of the amendments with state law, and not on any political opinion.”
The Attorney General also found that Nantucket’s charter was consistent with two Massachusetts laws “which, under certain circumstances, may permit the exposure of breasts.”
Last week, Massachusetts state official Dylan Fernandez, who represents Nantucket in the state legislature, took to social media to express his support for the new amendment.
“The beaches of Nantucket have been officially recognized as areas where both men and women are allowed to be topless. This is a victory for gender equality.”
The Beach Gender Equality Bylaw Amendment is the first of its kind in Massachusetts. It is currently unclear what kind of picture will be observed on the numerous public and private beaches of the island after the onset of the summer swimming season.